Unification of the church and state: The Unidimensionality of as a Religion and Nation State
In the study of sociology and politics of religion, Islam has beenintegral in analyzing how the unification of the church and state can bemade possible under the Islamic setting. Indeed, Islam as one of the mostdominant world religion, is more than a socio-political and religiousphilosophy; Islam is vital in that it is considered a society that has itsown unique culture. Islamic society and culture has the social, political,and cultural components that allows it to establish its own institutions,governing people in accordance to the religion's ideology and philosophy.In order to provide a thorough discussion of Islam as a religion and nation-state, this paper discusses the essential components that determine Islam'sunidimensionality in the domain of social and political structure and One of the primary components that determine Islam as a religion isbased on ethnicity, wherein people who share common norms and traditions
The politicalculture of Islamic societies also decrees that there will be no existingpolitical system that aims to represent people or various sectors in thesociety. More importantly, it has evolved into becoming a nation-statebuilt on religion, similar to the cases of Asian countries like Indonesiaand Malaysia and Arab nations in the Middle Eastern region. Because of commonalities in culture and socialcharacteristics, Islam has become an example of a nation built on religion(culture). In effect, nationality, race, andespecially religion all play essential roles in defining Islam as a societyand culture. It is thus deeply ingrained among Muslims that Islam is no longerjust a religion, but a way of life, where thinking, attitude, behavior, andactions of people are determined primarily on the teachings of Islam. Thus, because of the unification of the Muslim nation (society) with thestate (governmental institutions), secularization in Islam is a remotepossibility, since society and government dictates that the unification ofboth the church and state is vital to the strengthening of Islam as areligion, society, and culture. s vital in the formation of Islam religionsince it (ethnicity) is significant to the political structure and dynamicsof a society. ,following human laws apart from or instead of the law of Islam (Shari'alaw) as punishable not only in this earthly world, but in Allah's judgmentas well. This means that the lives of people in Islamsocieties are significantly affected and based on governmental institutionsthat follow the Shari'a law, which is the religious law imposed by theQuran (Islam's holy bible). This is upheld on the notion that Muslims are "obedient to God(Allah) alone," that Allah is the only entity that can rule over Muslims. As a religion, Islam is characteristically dominant amongArab nations, who share a commonality of being in the same territory andrace. It is thus evident that since Islamic societies are nation-statesbuilt on religion, it is understood that there is unification between thereligion's church and state. According to Tessler (1999), the civic valuesand institutional governments in Islamic societies are interrelated andinterdependent with each other. In the case of Muslims in Asia, commonality is once again based onterritory, although religion plays a vital role in uniting Islam nations inAsia, like Indonesia and Malaysia.
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